Martin at the Met: Day 34 – 11/28/16: Expanded European Paintings 1250-1800 (start)

The Met's collection of European Paintings up to 1800 is its central collection -- in terms of size and quality -- as well as location, with 45 galleries filling the entire 2d floor of the central (19th Century) buildings. I had seen this back in 2010, but in 2013 the galleries were expanded by one-third. Bev had not been with me the first time, so I resolved to see the expanded collection with her.

After seeing an enjoyable special exhibition, Max Beckmann in New York, we spent the rest of this day in Galleries 600-617, which encompass the major part of the huge Italian collection, plus all of the Spanish and French. Among the highlights were the Italian Baroque gallery, the large Venetian 16th Century gallery pictured above (Titian, Tintoretto, and Veronese), Velazquez and El Greco in the Spanish area, and David and many others in the French section. I was captivated by the many styles of evocative portraits (below). The amazing El Geco painting, Vision of Saint John, which I saw last time at the Met Breuer's Unfinished exhibition, was back in its normal location, giving an entirely different perspective.